Alexander Loth - Decisively Digital

Imagine, for example, a sensor on a manufacturing line that provides real-time feedback. A digitally connected sensor can offer data that can be analyzed in a cloud-based IoT service, affording the manufacturer an opportunity to take action to adjust anomalies or capitalize upon an otherwise undetectable process improvement. Absent that assist from technology, our operational effectiveness may not be as swiftly optimized.

This digital insight allows enterprises to achieve and maintain their critical commitment to customers — trust.

Alexander:Which technology or digital capabilities are essential for a digital strategy?

Edna:To answer that we must first appreciate that we have entered a platform economy. In fact, platforms are pervasive in industry and our personal lives, from connected factories leveraging a single platform for visibility to operations to our own individual use of on-demand personal transportation platforms.

Given that reality, we must apply a layered approach to our digital strategies. There are two technologies that form the foundational layer of any digital strategy: cloud and mobile. These two are must-haves.

Of course, no conversation about digital strategy would be complete without addressing the use of artificial intelligence and machine learning. These capabilities can only be deployed on a foundation of mobile data capture, data storage, and data sharing within a cloud platform.

As a start, I suggest applying your digital strategy to your data storage needs. Then you can move on to address the variety of compute capacity needs for your business.

Alexander: What ingredients are required to establish a digital culture?

Edna:As I list those ingredients, let me first note that I believe culture is about people, not technology, so my answers are offered with that perspective.

The first ingredient is fostering open minds that are comfortable with technology.

The second ingredient is appreciating the criticality of including those who may not be comfortable with technology. After all, if you have a group of citizens or a group of co-workers who are not digitally savvy, you are not optimizing the use of their skills and also risking reducing the resilience of your enterprise.

The third ingredient is relentless curiosity: continuously exploring how operations currently work, what can make them more efficient, and how value can be added. This rigorous approach will create a culture that builds digital thinking into strategy and operations.

Alexander: What approaches will managers need to take to advance an enterprise's digital culture?

Edna:Similar to what I shared about the ingredients for establishing a digital culture, managers must focus on people.

First, managers should ensure that those whom they have the privilege of leading have a strong digital foundation. That foundation must include methods to assess and further develop digital skills and techniques to evaluate where and how a digital solution could enhance the business.

Second, managers must embrace regular reevaluation of their operational plans. That reevaluation should include asking yourself and your team these questions:

Is there already an existing tool that we could leverage to free time for critical thinking rather than task implementation?

Does another team already have a digitized process that can be applied to this team's work and goals?

Can we, and how would we automate operational tasks?

What are the platforms and tools we are using or could use to collaborate digitally and serve as the repository(ies) of our work product?

Applying this approach to managing routine operations and new initiatives allows a manager to make digital thinking part of the team's DNA.

Alexander: What are the most important digital capabilities for protecting users' identities and data?

Edna:I would focus on the following four digital capabilities to protect identity and data:

Role-based access control

Digital identity management

Encryption

Network and function segmentation

And, as always, educate users on how to identify and evade efforts to gain credentials and information.

Alexander: A recent study found that unmanaged devices are 71 percent more likely to have malware. 2 What's the most effective way to combat this?

Edna:Today's reality is that the workforces of both private enterprises and the public sector use their own devices. No one entity can manage all the devices in the modern economy. You can, however, manage the way those devices

access your core infrastructure;

access, duplicate, edit, or extract your information; or

implement workflow tasks.

Deploying identity management (for example, multifactor authentication) and monitoring who is creating, accessing, changing, and operating from what device will serve you well.

Alexander: Threats are changing. How do we have to adapt?

Edna:There are three key points that we need to consider when we want to adapt to new threats:

Slow down: You are at risk of making a mistake when you are in a rush.

Be vigilant: Stay aware of the changing threat landscape and attack vectors and leverage a revisit of your security practices as you learn.

Conduct pre-deployment testing: Running in sandboxes prior to full operational deployment supports a diligence process based on staged implementation. Only when verification is achieved should a full deployment proceed.

Alexander: What will happen to companies that don't level up in digital maturity and organizational readiness?

Edna:They won't be in business. Leveling up in digital maturity and organizational readiness is not optional — it is an intrinsic necessity in today's digital age.

Alexander: Do you see a chance in low-code environments for employees to design business processes without software development skills?

Edna:I think that employees can design business processes at any point in time without software development skills. However, processes need to be implemented. Doing so in a digital age may not require software development skills if the implementation plan was designed with developers at the table who could ensure that process users can implement digitally. At some point someone who knows how to code needs to have been part of the team — period!

Alexander: Ten years from now, how do you think our workplace will look?

Edna:People will be wherever they want to be. Ten years from now, there will still be meetings at headquarters because people are creatures who require being with one another and developing rapport. We will never stop shaking hands, hugging, and understanding the feedback we get from being physically with one another.

I also believe that efficiencies will be added by the use of digitally controlled machinery and vehicles. These are adding more to our human capabilities every day.

Alexander: Thank you, Edna. What quick-win advice would you give that is easy for many companies to apply within their digital strategies?

Edna:

Deploy a flexible enterprise resource planning (ERP) system.

Lock down identity management deployed in conjunction with a role-based access plan.

As for your data: segment, segment, and segment.

Alexander: Do you have a smart productivity hack or work-related shortcut?

Edna:Pick up the phone and talk to someone.